Get Published Weekly Roundup: March 19th, 2018

Another St. Patrick's day has come and gone, but I really want some more corned beef. I think I'm going to go eat some leftovers right now. This week we feature some newly minted agents, a humorous poem contest (a contest for humorous poems, not a poetry contest that is humorous; I feel like all poetry contests are probably humorous on some level), and just a touch of news at the end.

We'd love to hear your feedback. Please let us know what you think in the comments and if there are certain types of information you would like to see in the Roundup. Also feel free to tweet at us (@freelancingrads) with any ideas or questions. Have a great writing week!

Agent and Agency News

This week, we're spotlighting two young agents working their way up at Donald Maass Literary and The Seymour Agency

"Give me the girls with skinned knees and boys weak with jealousy and queer kids who couldn't be good if they tried. All the gray morality and friendships they would kill to keep. Nothing cookie-cutter for me!"

A great opportunity for international community-building in the writing world and a call for the next Jabberwocky

Who: Fiction writers from Bulgaria and fiction writers from English-speaking countries, including but not limited to Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. English speakers need not be fluent in Bulgarian, or vice versa.

What: Application materials include a professional biography, statement of purpose, and a 10-20 page fiction writing sample. A total number of ten applicants (five writing in English and five in Bulgarian) will be admitted to the seminar as participants and appointed fellows of the program. The Elizabeth Kostova Foundation will cover their room, board, and in-country transportation. The five English-language fellows traveling to Bulgaria will be reimbursed for 50% of their international travel expenses.

Cost: Free

To Submit: More information on the contest as well as a link to the online submission form may be found here.

What: One humorous poem up to 250 lines in length. Work may be published or unpublished, and may contain "inspired gibberish." First prize is $1,000, second prize is $250, and ten Honorable Mentions will receive $100 each. The top 12 entries will be published online.

Cost: Free

To Submit: Contest details and a link to an online submission form may be found here.

"She loves family stories (in the vein of This is Where I Leave You), thrillers (serial killers; child psychopaths; and the things that keep you up at night), mysteries, and strong women’s fiction that delves into the complexities of our world today as well as supportive female friendships. She loves original voices and stories that are impossible to put down."

Chris is looking for this National Geographic headline in book form: "Five New Fossil Forests Found in Antarctica." Source Tweet

Seeking:

Fiction: Any genre

Nonfiction: Any genre

How to submit: Chris is accepting queries via email at chris@kepneragency.com. Click here for more information on the agency's submission policies. You can follow him on Twitter @chriskepner.

Ejusdem Generis

A few weeks ago we linked to a piece that explored the idea that writing romance can be a political act. Well, the struggle continues, as the Guardian reports today about the publisher Riptide, which has come under fire for its, well, racist perspectives and actions. Last week, romance author Cole McCade detailed an exchange he had with one of Riptide's editors in which he was told that they were unwilling to put a person of color on a book cover because it would hurt sales. The Guardian ties this to the larger issue of the lack of support for authors of color on the part of romance publishers generally. Check it out here.

Grad Student Freelancers (GSF) is dedicated to helping authors take care of the details of the publication process. Part of the process includes sifting through huge amounts of information to find important news, events, and tips that can give you an edge in the publication process. Every week GSF will provide three lists of curated information focused on helping writers get published. Our goal is to gather what's important from the web in the past week, so you can focus more on your writing.

Archives

Archives

Kelly was indispensable in her organization and attention to detail with my book project for the University of Chicago. She had a large amount of material to review and manage, lots of sources to research and cite, and was able to tackle it all while needing very little guidance from me. Beyond that, she also compiled chapter abstracts and keywords, and went back through my work multiple times as changes were made. She was invaluable.

Jane Friedman, publishing consultant and former publisher of Writer's Digest

Kelly's tenacity in tracking down rights holders was exceptional. I'm convinced she is actually a detective.Glenn Kammen, Author

Christopher was exactly what I was looking for. He is a great biblical scholar of historical criticism who held my writing feet to the fire. The biggest surprise is how good he is as a straight-up editor. It's ironic that I like his red pen more than a few "professional" editors I've worked with. Perhaps all editors should be put through the mandatory rigor of grading students' papers for a few years, as well as writing their own papers for tough professors.Kevin Bader, writer